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What is your favorite stevia brand?

Pick one:

Stevita

NuNaturals

NOW

SweetLeaf

Stevia In The Raw

Truvia

KAL

Krisda

Steviva

Other

Is
erythritol safe? All about Truvia's secret ingredient

Like
xylitol,
erythritol
is a sugar
alcohol or "polyol".
It can be found in small amounts in types of fruit such as grapes and
melons, and in fermented foods such as wine and cheese.

An
odorless white powder resembling regular sugar, it is less sweet than
common sucrose (only about 70%), and can be manufactured through an
industrial process in order to produce large amounts. This is done by fermenting glucose with a yeast,
and there is some debate as to whether this process artificially alters
the natural state of the sweetener.

In recent years, the Coca Cola Company has been producing Truvia,
which
they claim to be an all-natural sweetener. The main ingredients are (in
this order): erythritol, rebiana (some sort of processed form of
rebaudioside
A) and 'natural flavors' - whatever that means. Same goes
for Pepsi's SoBe
Lifewater, which is based on their sweetener's
proprietary name PureVia.

In any case, there have been
some reports online of people feeling discomfort from
Truvia in many ways, ranging from headaches and mouth sores to belly
aches and diarrhea.

It's
difficult to say what exactly causes these
ailments, but many people claim not to have any issues with the stevia
herb on its own.

Because
erythritol is a sugar alcohol, consuming it in
relatively large amounts can lead to intestinal discomfort - even
though this particular sweetener is apparently less agressive in that
respect.

Also,
people who are allergic to certain types of yeast should
also be very cautious, as consumption may promote itching and hives.

It
also has a minty flavor, causing a cooling effect on the mouth.
While this can be favorable for some food or drinks, it can also ruin
the subtleties of certain recipes. Also, its solubility in water isn't
great, and it crystallizes easily when baked. For these reasons,
erythritol is sometimes mixed
with other bulk agents to counter those
effects.

It's
not all bad news though: ever since the 1990's, Truvia's main
sweetener has been used in Japan as an ingredient for several types of
candy, chewing gum and soft drinks. A big part of its popularity surely
lies in the fact that it has very
little calories, and a glycemic index
of zero, making it ideal for diabetics as it doesn't throw the blood
sugar off balance. Whatever the case may be, Truvia is now on the
market and if we sum everything up that we've learned here today, I
guess we'll have to figure out for ourselves if, and to what extent we
want this sweetener to be part of our daily intake. If you're the kind
of person that prefers to judge for yourself, then you can always give
it a shot by buying erythritol
online.